


Bring him back to life so I can kill him again

by ChickadeeChickadoo



Series: Not so much Time Travel as Alternate Universe Jumping [1]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Darth Vader Redemption, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Parent Darth Vader, Protective Luke, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23916244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChickadeeChickadoo/pseuds/ChickadeeChickadoo
Summary: The last part of RotJ (what with Vader killing old wrinkly) plays out in front of a very confused Jedi council. No one really knows what's going on, but Vader doesn't particularly mind the thought of killing Sidious twice.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: Not so much Time Travel as Alternate Universe Jumping [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815298
Comments: 711
Kudos: 1999
Collections: Star wars





	1. No lava. No sand.

“Grant you a seat on the council we will,” Yoda said, but was prevented from speaking further when the air in the room seemed to rip apart as three figures appeared in the council chamber. Obi- Wan was on his feet with his lightsaber out before his brain properly registered the scene in front of him.

One boy, on the ground, clearly injured. One black clad _something_ , missing an arm, raising a shriveled prune of a man over his head. The old man was using Force Lightning, an extremely painful and powerful Sith technique. That… wasn’t good.

The black thing seemed to stumble, throwing the prune to the ground. The old man’s lightning cut off temporarily as bone cracked. None of the Jedi had moved yet. While the boy was clearly light and the old man clearly dark, the giant was murky at best. And through it all- they all seemed… familiar. And the old man was fighting the giant, not the boy. Anakin’s blade suddenly flew into the giant’s hand and he stabbed it directly into the old man’s face.

The old man was very, very dead.

Anakin was gaping, staring at his lightsaber, and if Obi-Wan knew the man at _all_ he was feeling betrayed. Which was silly, it wasn’t the lighsaber’s fault. The giant turned from the dead man towards the boy and Obi-Wan tensed. “Luke,” he asked, “Are you all right?”

“I’ll live.” He said, slowly sitting up, looking rather confused. Which was fair. Obi-Wan was confused too.

The giant nodded again.

“Thanks.” The boy added. He looked around the room again, his gaze lingering on Yoda a second longer than the rest of them. He hesitated a moment before clambering all the way to his feet, looking around warily. “Father-“ he said, and Obi-Wan blinked again. “Where are we?”

Anakin was the first of the Jedi to find words. He raised a hand, calling his lightsaber back to him, pointing it at the intruders. “Who are you?” Anakin asked, “How’d you get here? Who was that Sith? What is even happening here? And why’d you steal my lightsaber?”

The Giant looked at Anakin for a moment and the sound of his mechanical breathing filled the air. It wasn’t steady- that didn’t seem like a good thing, for him at least.

“Jedi Council Chambers.” The giant finally said, “Before Order 66.”

“Order 66?” Anakin asked.

The giant was swaying on his feet. “Sidious- used the chips… clones… kill the Jedi.”

He would have collapsed then, except the boy, Luke, his son, was there, catching him, lowering him to the ground.

“We need a medic,” the boy said, looking up, straight at Obi-Wan.

“Who are you!” Anakin repeated, his lightsaber out and brandished in front of him pointing at the boy.

“Luke Skywalker,” the boy snapped, and Anakin’s eyes widened in confusion. “I’m Luke Skywalker and this is my father and we both need medical attention because Palpatine apparently has a thing with Force Lightning!”

 _Palpatine?_ Obi- Wan grabbed his comm and called for medical support before he could think better about it. He didn’t know what was going on, but he wasn’t going to let the man die- after all, he’d just killed a Sith Lord. Who’d apparently chopped off his hand?

Obi- Wan clipped his lightsaber back on his belt, stepping forward and kneeling by Luke and his father. The breathing was getting more and more off. “What does the suit do for him?” he asked. Medical would need to know so they could get him out of it- it was obviously damaged- and keep the man alive.

Luke looked a him, a mix of desperation and elation in his eyes. “No one really know?” he said, “He can fight just fine with it- it obviously helps him breathe and _apparently_ he’s more machine than man now but other than that I don’t know.”

Obi-Wan wanted to ask how the boy didn’t know how his father’s life support suit worked, but it didn’t seem the best time.

“We’ll get him in first,” he said, “Then we’ll see about you. You said you got hit with lightning too?”

The boy nodded and Obi-Wan saw Anakin wincing. He’d had his experience with Force Lightning too.

Suddenly, Obi-Wan felt the Giant’s hand, the remaining one, latch around his wrist in a vice like grip. “Kenobi,” he said, voice obviously labored. “Not me. Save Luke.”

“We’ll save Luke,” Obi-Wan said.

The grip relaxed slightly, then, “No lava.”

The suit made it hard to figure out the man’s inflection but Obi-Wan could almost swear he was suspicious. “No lava.” He agreed, glancing at Luke to see if he knew what that was about. The boy looked as confused as he felt.

“Or sand.” The giant added.

“No sand either.” Obi-Wan promised.

The giant let go just as the medical team arrived.


	2. There are dead people everywhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone had a barbecue twenty years ago. Luke talks to the council. Vader wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So- this is not a one shot. Or a two shot. I'm not sure how long it's gonna be- but the whole 1/1 chapters thing was an accident... sorry bout that...

Both Luke and his father were sleeping. They’d put the two in adjacent rooms, mostly because the older fellow seemed to try to wake himself up whenever Luke got far enough away. Luke was mostly alright. The lightning had caused a few problems, and if he’d been exposed much longer he’d be dead, but it was an easy enough fix.

The older man looked like he was being held together by spit and glue.

The lava comment made more sense now- the man looked like he’d been barbecued at some point in his life. The prosthetics were ill fitting and probably rather painful. The whole suit, even the uncooked version, looked like it would be painful. That didn’t even touch on the drugs it’d been pumping into his system or the kill switch.

The most curious thing was how old the equipment was. Equipment like that didn’t exist twenty years ago, but it was definitely twenty years old.

Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin. Anakin looked like he’d finally forgiven the man for stealing his lightsaber, if only because he’d used it to kill a Sith. None of the council seemed to know what was going on, but Mace Windu seemed to be having an aneurism of some sort, mumbling about shatterpoints, and Yoda was being even more cryptic than usual.

Obi-Wan sometimes wondered if Yoda reflected the force’s cryptic nature back at everyone he was in contact with. Or if the old troll was amused by messing with people who thought he was being wise.

“I hope they have some answers when they wake up,” Anakin muttered, and Obi-Wan found himself nodding back. That would indeed be nice.

…---…

Luke had never seen his father’s face before. His face was pale, which made sense considering the fact that his skin probably hadn’t seen sunlight in twenty-three years. The scars were thick and all over. Still- it was nice to see his face.

Luke wondered what exactly he should tell the Jedi. He was still confused about the fact that there were Jedi. Living ones. One of whom his father had called Kenobi.

Vader wasn’t really the safest person to be around, especially for Jedi. Which meant he probably should warn the Jedi that his slightly murderous father had been hunting Jedi for the last twenty-three years.

At the same time, that felt like a bit of a betrayal. The man had just saved his life, almost dying in the process.

The lava comment made more sense now- his entire body seemed to be some sort of burn scar, or what was left of his body anyways. Ben hadn’t been lying about the whole more machine than man part.

Though he’d been wrong. Vader had saved Luke, chosen Luke over the Emperor and power in the end.

He watched his father for a while longer, wishing he’d wake up and hoping he wouldn’t at the same time.

Finally, someone walked up to him. “The council will see you now.” She said. He nodded to her, and a little guy with a strange braid led him to the council chamber.

…---…

Anakin was on the council now. He still felt a little bit giddy about the whole thing. He was on the council. He wasn’t a master yet, but he could understand everyone kind of forgetting about his ceremony what with the three people just popping in out of thin air.

Three people doing and talking about things that made no sense at all.

Except for killing the Sith. That did make sense.

The doors opened and Luke walked in. He looked better now, with a little sleep in him. His father still hadn’t woken up, though they would want to talk to him too.

Yoda started them out. “Luke Skywalker your name is?”

Luke nodded.

“How did you get here?” Windu asked.

Luke shrugged. “Honestly- I have no idea. One minute I was on the second Death Star, the next I was here. Don’t really know how we all made it here.”

“Death Star?” Obi-Wan asked.

Luke nodded. “Big machine that can blow up planets.”

The masters exchanged glances. Anakin would like to dismiss all it- but the force sang with the truth of Luke’s words.

“You, your father, and the Sith arrived together.” Anakin found himself saying. “All extremely strong with the force. You are obviously light, the Sith was obviously dark, but what exactly is your father?”

Luke hesitated. “I’m not exactly sure?” he finally said, “We’ve only even talked like three times. I don’t think he knew I existed for about the first 19 years of my life, and he spent a long time trying to find me- but when he did our conversations never really went all that well.”

Anakin blinked. For only talking to his son three times the older fellow seemed rather protective with the whole “Save Luke not me” thing.

“So you talked three times- then went off to kill a Sith together?” Anakin asked.

Luke shrugged. “Weirder things have happened.” Which was probably true but also a non-answer if he’d ever heard one, which he _had_ , his best friend was Obi-Wan and he was married to Padme after all.

“You said this Sith- the one your father killed- was Sidious.” Windu said.

Luke hesitated again. “I think we should wait for my father to get into that- he knows a lot more about it than me and I don’t really want to mess anything up. Yes, he is Sidious but I don’t think he’s _your_ Sidious.”

Anakin blinked at that. He wasn’t sure if this meeting was answering his questions or making more.

…---…

Vader woke up. That was odd- he hadn’t really expected to wake up again. He’d expected to be dead. He’d known he’d die if he went to save his son, but his life meant very little in comparison with Luke’s. So he’d gone against his master. He felt vaguely sick- remembering that moment when he saw that his master was still alive, not burning in the reactor. He’d called for help, and the Force had answered. The light side of the Force had answered, and he had saved someone he loved from death. With light. He couldn’t- he didn’t want to think of the implications of that.

Also- he could see color. That was interesting.

And there were dead people everywhere. He could feel them- and they all felt alive- but he recognized them and they were all very, very dead. He should know.

He sat up- it felt like a movement that should hurt but didn’t. He absently wondered just how many pain killers they’d given him.

He needed… he needed to find Luke. Then get out of here- wherever here was. It looked exactly like the Jedi Temple of twenty some years ago- but it could be because that place was gone.

He looked down at himself. His suit was off, which felt remarkably nice. He had a mask of some sort helping him breathe and was connected to a variety of other machines, all of which, unfortunately, were necessary for his continued survival.

He forced himself up, out of the bed, onto his feet while remaining connected to everything, then lifted all the machinery around him. He could feel Luke- in the direction of the Jedi Council Chamber. He’d go- get Luke- them figure out what was going on.

A healer rushed in, telling him he needed to lie back down and he gently pushed her away as he walked out of the medical center. He remembered her, and he didn’t kill dead people. If he started _that_ the blood would never stop flowing.

The medical equipment he was currently attached to was a lot more bulky than his suit but it was also far more comfortable, so he supposed he’d survive it, for now.

He went to retrieve his son.


	3. I don't have a mask... huh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vader finds Luke and isn't really inclined to let him go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy May the 4th!

Vader was surrounded by the dead. He could see them, and those he could not _see_ he could sense. Generally, when the dead visited they were silent specters. Kenobi was the exception, glowing blue but still mostly alive.

Vader didn’t know exactly _what_ here was- but it was awful. People he’d killed or seen killed or not saved… all looking and acting completely normal as though they weren’t dead and it wasn’t his fault.

And then he saw the children. The children he had cut down for nothing- for nothing because the darkness didn’t save anyone.

They’d asked for help, and he’d slaughtered them all. Some of them had tried to fight back, but children? Against someone like him? They hadn’t had a chance. They hadn’t understood what was happening, why he’d turned against them.

His body was trying to breathe faster and his heart to beat faster but the pacemaker and breathing mask weren’t helping. And then the children started coming closer and he knew- he knew that if he went to the darkness the guilt would fade away.

It wasn’t his fault- it was theirs. They hadn’t understood, hadn’t _helped_ him save his wife. It was Sidious’s fault, he’d betrayed Vader. He’d lied, promising life but only giving chains. All the blame could lie at Sidious’s feet. The darkness made such justification easy.

But the darkness had betrayed him too. And Vader was very, very good at holding grudges.

The children came closer and though he held himself steady he felt his panic flare. He couldn’t handle this- he couldn’t handle seeing all those he had killed for nothing paraded in front of him. With his luck Padme would show up soon and then…

He _needed_ to find Luke. So, though his heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest, he walked on.

…---…

Luke wasn’t exactly sure about what he’d been expecting from this meeting. He hadn’t expected the doors to open and his father, trailed by a stunning array of floating medical equipment and still missing an arm, to waltz in.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone seemed to be deciding whether to look at Vader of the equipment he was floating behind him. “Sir,” one of the Jedi, Luke didn’t know any of their names but Yoda and Kenobi, said, “While we would appreciate talking to you, you should probably get back to the medical center. We can call for you later.”

Vader completely ignored them, striding over to Luke instead.

Another Jedi started talking. “Sir, we really must ask you to leave.”

Vader ignored them too.

“Father,” Luke said, “Are you going to respond?”

Vader blinked at him, eyes widening. He tried to talk- them seemed to realize he was wearing an oxygen mask. He lifted it, glaring at it, then looked to Luke, his eyes softening. “You see them too?” His voice wasn’t nearly as deep as it had been, and it was raspy. It sounded like talking would hurt.

That… hadn’t been the response he’d been expecting. “Yes?”

Vader looked momentarily stumped. Finally, he lifted the mask to say “I don’t talk to dead people.”

 _How often do you see dead people?_ “You talked to Kenobi.”

“He’s not dead.” He replaced the mask, took a breath “Usually older and blue- not dead.”

Luke felt an urge to shout, “You chopped him in half!” But… he didn’t really want to know how the council would react to that. He’d wanted to save his father, not get him killed. And it was true, Obi-Wan showed up to him old and blue as well. Luke was pretty sure he was dead though.

“They don’t look dead.”

“They _are_ dead.” Luke knew the part Vader had played in the Jedi Purges. He’d likely killed many of them himself.

Luke… didn’t really want to think about that.

If anything, the council looked more confused now. “I don’t think they’re dead. In our time, sure. In this time, not so much.”

Vader blinked, looking at him, them slowly turning towards the council. He seemed to be studying all of them intently, until his gaze stuck on a younger human with blondish hair and a scar beside his right eye.

“Time travel.” Vader said faintly, or more faintly. “Wonderful.”

…---…

Yoda didn’t seem surprised. Then again, he never really seemed to be surprised. Obi-Wan was… worried. The conversations revealed… a lot.

The Jedi were dead- except Yoda and apparently him? Who was not dead but- blue? What did that _mean_? And the Order 66 thing- Sidious would or had or _something_ use/used the clones to kill the Jedi.

The older fellow was still freakishly tall but looked rather less intimidating with a breathing mask and his large array of medical equipment floating behind him. Did he really need all of it or had he taken it just in case? How had he even managed to get out of the medical center with it? Were the doors even big enough? Well, obviously they were unless he’d cut through a wall or something… which Obi-Wan could see the man doing.

He was still staring at Anakin. His expression went from something dazed to something darker. He was walking towards Anakin. Obi-Wan felt himself tensing, but he sensed no danger from the man, at least not yet. His equipment still floating behind him the man stepped right in front of Anakin and placed his remaining hand on Anakin’s head.

…---…

The man slipped through Anakin’s shields like they were made of water, like they weren’t shields at all. Anakin felt the urge to resist- to push the man out- but something told him to wait.

The man was poking at his bonds. There was the training bond with Obi-Wan and the one with Ahsoka… and another one. Anakin felt himself freeze as the hidden bond was found. He- he hadn’t bonded with anyone. Where had this come from? What was this? It felt… dark, slippery, wrong.

He needed it gone. It wasn’t supposed to be there. He reached out to pull it out, to destroy it, but the man was there. _Don’t do it._ He said, _Sidious will know something is wrong if you break the bond- he might up the time table. We can’t afford that if we’re going to get rid of him before everyone dies this time._

The voice was so familiar- it sounded a bit like his own. Older, angrier, and broken. Anakin shook his head slightly and the man released him.

The whole council was staring at him, Obi-Wan looking like he was only a moment from leaping out of his seat.

“What is that?” Obi-Wan asked, and Anakin realized he was talking about the bond. The bond he hadn’t even known he’d had.

“I don’t- I don’t know.” Anakin said, looking to the man who’d been in his head a moment before.

…---…

The equipment lowered, slowly, to the floor and the man sat down on the bed. Obi-Wan wondered why he’d bothered to bring the bed with him, then decided that probably wasn’t the most important question at the moment.

The man really had an open face, he made no effort at all the conceal his expressions, though he shielded his emotions in the force quite admirably. Right now, his expression was angry. Very angry.

“Sith bind minds without permission.” He said, replaced the mask, lifted it again, “Not his fault.”

Anakin made a noise that was suspiciously like a squeak. “ _Sidious_ is in my mind?”

The man nodded, his expression darkening further if it was possible. “Yes.”

Luke didn’t shield, or if he did not well. His concern was really quite endearing.

“The Jedi destroyed in the future are.” Yoda said, softly.

The older fellow looked surprised at the topic change but nodded. “You and Kenobi last longer than the rest.”

“The rest of us all die?” Anakin said, his voice almost squeaking at the end. He was tense, and Obi-Wan could see how much of a struggle it was for him to not yell that the man was a liar.

The older man lifted his mask. “You don’t die.” He replaced the mask, took a deep breath. “You burn.” Another breath. “You’ll wish he killed you.” He grinned suddenly, and the expression wasn’t pleasant. “Welcome to the future, _boy_.”

And suddenly, the sand comment made a whole lot more sense.

…---…

Anakin stared at the older man- the man who was apparently him- in something like horror. He liked to think he wasn’t vain- but he’d look like that? The man didn’t have any limbs! At all! He’d lost at least _five_. What would Padme think?

This man had a son. Who was right there. Who he’d only spoken to three times. What had even happened? Anakin knew he’d never give his children up. So how?

Did that mean Padme had been right? He’d been so sure it’d be a girl…

“You’re me.” He said, checking to make sure. _And I somehow have a bond with Sidious. How?_ The man did have a scar beside his right eye, just like Anakin. And they had the same eyes. And the voice in his head- had been his own.

The man shrugged. “I used to be you.”

“How- how did this happen?” Anakin asked. The other Anakin looked at him for a long moment, his eyes widening almost comically. Then he started laughing. Anakin couldn’t hear him through the mask, but everyone could see him shaking. It wasn’t a pleasant laugh, it was a hysterical one. The man had enough problems that laughing like that- so hard he couldn’t breathe- couldn’t be good for him.

Luke was at his side in an instant. He hesitated for a long moment, then placed his hands on his father’s shoulders.

…---…

Vader felt himself freeze. It’d been twenty three years since someone had touched him like this- willingly- to help him. It’d been that long since he’d had skin to skin contact with anyone. Luke’s hands were on his shoulders.

It felt… nice. The last person… had been Padme. Right before he’d choked her. He was grateful for the mask that forced him to keep breathing. Otherwise he definitely would have stopped and that wouldn’t be good. He couldn’t help them stop Sidious if he was dead. Sidious- the man who’d put a bond on him without his permission. Who had used that bond to manipulate him. Who’d lied to him. Who’d convinced him to kill everyone he’d ever loved. Who’d made everyone die and let Vader hate everyone- everyone but him.

He would have vengeance for this.

“You know who the Sith is.” Mace Windu said cutting into his thoughts.

Vader looked up. Luke hadn’t moved, for which he was grateful. “Yes.” He said.

The mask was incredibly annoying.

“Are you going to tell us how to stop him?” Obi-Wan asked.

Vader couldn’t help but notice just how hopeful Luke looked. Would he? He hated the Jedi too… but for vengeance he could work with them. He could build everything Sidious had sought to destroy and destroy everything the man had sought to create. He could make the man’s life’s work nothing in a manner of moments. “Yes.” He said. “I need.” A breath, “A better mask first.”

Luke was almost grinning now, and Vader rolled his eyes at his son.

 _You were right, and foolish, and a brat._ Vader said, and Luke grinned.

…---…

Luke seemed happy. Anakin really needed to talk to the boy- figure out what happened to Padme- if he even knew. He needed… he needed this to not be his future. Even if he did, eventually, kill the Sith lord.

At that moment, Master Che swept into the room, her gaze immediately drawn to the man who’d left the medical center without permission dragging his life support systems behind him.

She was… worked up.

The other Anakin glanced at her, eyes widening once again. “What are you doing up and out of the Healing Halls?” She asked.

Luke took a step back from his father when she stormed in, and Anakin knew he wasn’t imagining the disappointment, almost desolation, on the older man’s face. How long had he spent in that suit?

He lifted the mask. “Sorry. Thought you were dead.”

That got her to stop for a moment as she glanced at the council members. Obi-Wan shrugged. “Don’t talk,” she said, “Taking that mask off isn’t good for you.”

The baleful look he gave her, combined with the incredibly attentive and slightly apologetic posture was amusing. She didn’t really look all that amused.

She grabbed him by the stump of his still missing arm, looking like she was going to drag him out of the council chamber. He didn’t allow her to pull him, shaking his head.

With the arm not in her grip he lifted the mask again. “I’m not leaving Luke.” He said, and Anakin could tell he meant it. It was fair, he wouldn’t leave his son with the council either. Which… huh.

…---…

 _Father._ Luke said, _I’ll be fine._

 _I’m not leaving you._ Vader replied, and Luke could feel that Vader was completely serious, and completely immovable on this point.

_How long do we have to come up with a plan to defeat the Sith Lord?_

_A week, give or take._

_That’s not very long._

_Tell them that when they figure out where Grievous is they need to send Kenobi and Skywalker. Also tell them that they need to start hacking the Clone’s chips in a way that will not alert anyone in the Senate. They need those chips out- but if they can’t do that in two weeks then they need to find a way to change Order 66 into something else. I’ll talk to them more in detail about that later, after they get me a better mask we can start the whole planning thing. Shouldn’t take more than a couple hours. Or- maybe I should stay here and we could… no. Not with me here. That would make me act weird. I can’t tell any of them who the Sith is yet… not good._

_Umm…_ “My father says you should send Kenobi and Skywalker together when you find out where Grievous is and need to start hacking the clones chips immediately. They need taken out of the coding in them needs changed so that Order 66 will make them do something else. Also- he needs a better mask soon. One he can talk out of so you can plan.”

Yoda nodded, slowly. “Do this, we will. Return to the healing halls you will.”

Luke watched as Vader rolled his eyes. His posture betrayed nothing of his feelings, but his face… Luke realized then that Vader had probably been wearing a mask for the past 23 years.

_You do realize that everyone can see your face don’t you?_

_Why… oh. Yes. Yes they can. So this whole time…_

_Yep._

_Hmm. Let’s go._

And so they did. 


	4. DNA tests are a thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The council has a great idea. Vader does not agree.

“Trust him, I do not.” Yoda said, “Great darkness there is in him.”

Anakin assumed he was talking about older Anakin and not his son. That boy was about as far from dark as one could get. His older self… was not.

“He’s telling the truth though,” Anakin said, resisting the urge to poke at the bond his older self had found. It made his skin crawl. How had Sidious gotten a bond with him? Who was Sidious? Why did Sidious want a bond with him? Could he hear through it? Spy on the Jedi somehow? Probably not- if he could his older self probably would have kicked him out of the council chambers. Still it was… distressing.

“How old do you think he is?” Ti asked, “And how old is his son?”

Anakin didn’t like the direction this conversation was going. He knew he had a secret wife who was pregnant with his first child, and _they_ didn’t need to know. He shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

“Why wouldn’t he tell us who the Sith Lord was though?” Plo Koon was speaking now.

Anakin hesitated for a long moment. “He didn’t want us to act weird around the Sith Lord. He’s basically planning on telling you right before he figures out a plan to kill the man without giving him a chance to activate the chips in the clones.”

“And you know this how?” Windu this time.

“We are the same person.” Anakin said, “He slipped through my shields like water, like they weren’t even _there_ because we are the same person. He’s changed a lot since he was me- but I can see through his shields too. I heard his conversation with Luke. The mental one.”

“What is he then? Other than you?” Master Ti seemed almost curious.

Anakin shrugged, though he felt the opposite of relaxed. “Old, angry, broken. He’s helping the Jedi because he hates Sidious. He wants to build up everything the man has sought to destroy and destroy everything he’s sought to build.” Anakin hesitated for a long moment before adding, “He wants to help Luke.” _If Luke asked him to- he’d probably do just about anything Luke asked him to ask long as it didn’t endanger Luke_.

He kept the last part to himself- the Jedi preached enough about the dangers of attachment as it was.

Obi-Wan seemed thoughtful. “He doesn’t like us, but he hates Sidious more.”

Anakin nodded. He didn’t add that the other him hated and distrusted _himself_ more than anyone else in the room.

“We need to know who Sidious is. He needs to tell us despite any misgivings he has, then we can plan together.” Windu this time, and Anakin felt himself bristle on his other selves behalf.

Master Ti spoke, slowly, as though measuring her words. “Three people came back,” she said, “Anakin, Luke, and Sidious. We still have the body. We could do a DNA test and find out ourselves who Sidious is.”

The council members looked at each other. They’d never really trusted Anakin and they certainly didn’t trust his older self. Obi-Wan and Anakin were the only two who voted against the DNA test. 

…---…

_Would you mind telling her I feel better now than I have in twenty-three years?_

Luke glanced at his father, whose life support systems were now stable on the ground. _How bad have you felt for the last twenty-three years then?_

_Mostly like I was still on fire._

_I think you feeling well probably has more to do with painkillers than actually_ being _well._

_Would you at least ask them to get me a mask I can breath with and talk out of? This is rather annoying._

“Do you have a mask he can talk and breathe out of?” Luke asked the slightly terrifying healer lady.

She sighed- looking up from whatever test she was doing. “I might have something that can work.” She said.

She yelled at another of the tiny braid people who went running off- presumably to find a mask of some sort.

The girl came back a couple minutes later with something that they fitted onto Vader’s mask.

“Luke.” He said, then stopped, horrified. “This sounds all wrong.” He said, glaring at the healer. For all he said he understood people could see his face Luke still wasn’t sure that he had quite grasped the concept.

The healer looked unimpressed. “That’s the only mask of the sort we have. We used it a couple years ago for a girl who’d had a nasty lunge disease. Best thing we have for your case.”

“Doesn’t it have other settings?” he asked, and Luke barely resisted the urge to laugh. It was really rather high pitched- the sound was incongruous with his father’s face.

The healer continued to look unimpressed. “Yes.” she said, “Now hold still. We’re going to need to get you all new prosthetics because yours are terrible and would probably be very painful without all the painkillers we are pumping through you right now. Also, you’re missing and arm. That’s not even mentioning all your other problems.”

Vader sighed. The high, feminine sound that came out was almost as amusing as the look on his face.

…---…

It didn’t take long to find the corpse, and though no one really wanted to get a DNA sample from it, Windu did.

It also didn’t take long to put the DNA in a machine and wait for it to find a match.

“Positive Match found,” the machine chirped happily. “Chancellor Sheev Palpatine.”

And Anakin felt like he was going to throw up.

…---…

Vader felt his younger self begin panicking. Sliding through his shields was the work of a moment, then he was cursing in Huttese. Then, healers notwithstanding, he was back on his feet and walking as fast as he could towards the archives.

Curse them all. Why did they have to find the truth on their own? Why couldn’t they just trust that he actually knew what he was talking about and was helping them? He had traveled through _time_. On accident, admittedly, but _still_. What was wrong with people? Why did no one ever let him save them?

The darkness swirled around him, within him, but he was still angry at it. He life support was floating behind him, his son beside him, and also Master Che. She was yelling at him. He… was probably supposed to respond.

“They found out who the Sith Lord is.” He said. “Anakin is panicking. I need to get there before they decide to do something stupid. I had a plan- now we can’t do that plan because everyone knows and will act weird and Sidious will know.”

He felt like punching something but he didn’t have time to stop and punch a wall. If he did, he might break his hand and since he only had one arm as it was probably best to keep the hand in working condition.

They were in the archives in moments and Vader faced down the council. “You are all idiots.” He said.

Anakin spoke first. “Obi-Wan and I voted against it. When we lost though we figured we should come and advise against moving without your approval- time-travel has you at an advantage.” He tried to smile, but his panic was still running through both of them, making it hard to concentrate.

Obi-Wan had voted for him- trusted him. Vader was suddenly glad that he didn’t have tear ducts anymore.

“We need to move up our time-table.” Vader said simply, “We will not be able to convince Sidious we don’t know- we won’t be able to act as we used to- which means we need at attack before our silence becomes suspicious.”

Vader took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Then he reached out into Anakin’s mind and pulled on the bond that connected him to Sidious. His own bond with Sidious had broken when he’d killed the man, but this bond slid neatly over into its place.

Anakin gaped at him for a long moment. “Why’d you do that?” he asked, and Vader could feel the gratitude pouring off of him.

Vader didn’t respond. He probably should have done it sooner- but he really hadn’t wanted to invite Sidious back into his head. “Anakin- you and Obi-Wan need to go to Utapau to take down Grievous. Sidious can’t know that you’re leaving, or he’ll know that something is wrong. If I’m here with your bond he’ll think you’re here. He won’t look for you.”

Anakin, of course, couldn’t just say yes. What was wrong with people? Why’d everyone resist when he tried to save them?

…---…

“Is that really important right now?” Anakin asked, “I mean- the Sith Lord- he’s been controlling the whole war. With him gone- the fighting might just stop. Even with Grievous.”

The other Anakin stared at him for a long moment and the naked fear in his eyes made Anakin’s words stutter to a stop. Why was he so afraid?

Anakin reached out hesitantly and his shields parted.

Flashes of pictures- words, scattered in his mind.

_Rise Lord Vader._

Dead Jedi on the ground.

_You know what you have to do._

Younglings, screaming, dying.

_You’re going down a path I can’t follow_

Padme choking, clawing at her throat

_You were my brother Anakin! I loved you!_

Severed limbs, lava, fire, and _pain_. So much pain.

_You killed her._

A funeral- Padme-

Anakin ripped himself out of his other selves mind- trembling.

“You need to go with Kenobi.” His other self said, and there was a _weight_ to them. Anakin nodded. He didn’t want to know- he didn’t want whatever had happened to his other self to happen to him. He didn’t want any of it.

“What about,” Anakin hesitated, mindful of the other Jedi in the room. “What about…” _Padme. My wife. Our wife._

_She will be safe. I promise._

And Anakin believed him.


	5. Planning is good.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People make plans.   
> Padme is mentioned  
> The council is confused

Vader was panicking. He didn’t know why, he’d been fine five minutes ago. But now he was trying to take down Sidious and he only had one hand and there were so many different threads he had to pay attention too- so many plots he needed to stop.

If his hand was flesh it would have been trembling.

But it wasn’t flesh because Obi-Wan.. Obi-Wan had…

He shoved that thought back, he was still mad at the Dark Side. He didn’t need any pain right now. Vader took a breath, as deep as he could with his lungs. Not now. He could… deal with that later. Now- he needed to plan. To save the council.

 _They don’t trust you. They hate you. They’re holding you back._ Those thoughts, more than anything, snapped Vader out of it.

Of course they didn’t trust him. He’d showed up out of nowhere and his explanations created more questions than they answered. They couldn’t all hate him, not yet. Most of them did, but Obi-Wan had voted for him and he didn’t care about the rest of them anyways. Though, he would’ve said he didn’t care about Obi-Wan’s opinion either.

Until he figured out it was a good opinion.

As for holding him back… he was pretty sure that was more the life support than the council.

All of those thoughts would have been very effective on Anakin though which meant… the bond. _Ah._

Careful not to prod the thing he built shields around it. Calm, or calmer, he took another breath.

Luke was looking at him, concerned. Vader smiled, though with his face the way it was it probably came off as more of a grimace. “Sorry,” he said, “The bond pours in fear by the bucketful. Don’t know how I ever managed to think with the thing…”

Anakin was gaping at him. “Is that why I feel so good?” he asked.

Obi-Wan winced. Probably wondering how he hadn’t noticed. Which was kind of gratifying.

“Probably.” Vader said.

Now…

“I need to make a list. I’ll tell you things, you write them down.”

Anakin raised an eyebrow, but didn’t object.

Vader started pacing, seven steps forwards, turn, seven steps, turn, seven steps…

“List number one- things Sidious wants.” He said, raising his remaining hand, which wasn’t the right hand… but whatever… and jabbing a finger forwards.

“Darth Vader. The Republic to become his Empire. The destruction of the Jedi. The Separatists destroyed. Death to the rebels. A Death Star.” Vader stopped. “Those last two aren’t actually important right now.”

“Hey!” Luke said.

Vader looked at him for a long moment. “Currently there are no rebels, and there is no Death Star.”

Luke looked at him for a long moment, then shrugged.

“List number two.” Vader said, “Things we need to do to stop Sidious from getting what he wants. One, keep Obi-Wan and Anakin together. Two, send Padme Amidala somewhere safe. Actually- probably send her with Obi-Wan and Anakin, just not to the actual battle…”

Anakin gaped up at him. “You’re trying to send a pregnant woman to the front lines?”

Obi-Wan looked like he was choking on something.

Luke perked up immediately. “My mom’s name is Padme?” he asked.

Vader whirled on him. “You don’t know her name? He never told you her name?!”

“Maybe he didn’t know?” Luke said, even though that was a stupid explanation and almost certainly untrue. It was very much easier to not know the father’s name than the mother’s.

“He was literally there at the birth! You know what… later. I’ll be angry later _after_ Sidious is dead. Yes, her name is Padme.”

Several of the Council members looked uncertain exactly where they were supposed to look, gaping at either Vader, Luke, or Anakin, mouths gaping open and shut like little fish.

Vader pointed at them. “Not important right now.” He said, then pointed at Anakin, “It’s safer than anywhere around Sidious. While I usually think the Jedi are stupid, in this case Sidious will use Padme against you if he can. We really want that not to happen.”

 _I have power to save the one’s you love…_ his voice whispered. Vader shoved it back.

Anakin nodded uncertainly. “Keep writing,” Vader snapped.

“Three, make the clones get rid of their comms or order then to only accept comms from the Jedi in their immediate command. Also on that point- we need to get the chips out of the clones. But probably- not right now. That can wait till after Sidious is dead. Four- Yoda, Windu, and I will need to go to confront Sidious. We should have lots and lots of backup- we fight him first, but if we die we need enough Jedi that he dies no matter what. Five- we should get someone to jam all comms leaving the senate building. Six- the separatist council is on Mustafar- we should send some people to detain them at the same time we are doing the rest of this stuff. If we can get all this done in one move we can’t be outmaneuvered.”

Vader breathed for a moment. Luke would go with him of course. Vader needed Luke near- needed to make sure the boy was safe and _stayed_ safe. He didn’t trust anyone else to keep Luke safe. He kind of trusted Obi-Wan, and he did trust Padme, but not with this. Padme was a fighter, but not _that_ kind of fighter.

Vader nodded to himself. “Sit down.” He said to the council members, “We have some more in depth planning to do. The timing on this will need to be perfect. We need to start all these fights at almost the same time, the one with Sidious can go slightly before the others. I’ll be able to impersonate Anakin while he’s getting to Utapau, but it won’t last long.”

“Won’t your force presence give you away?” Obi-Wan asked. “It’s not exactly the same.”

Vader hesitated for a moment. He’d heard his current presence described as a black hole or cold flame.

Anakin had been described as a sun. “I can do it.” He said. It would burn, but he’d been burning for twenty-three years. A little longer wouldn’t hurt.

“Are none of us going to talk about the fact that Anakin…” Windu trailed off. Vader didn’t know which thing he was talking about, the marriage, the future child, the future oh-I-actually-became-a-Sith-Lord… there were quite a few things he could be addressing.

“You can talk when Sidious is dead.” Vader said, turning and jabbing a finger at him. “Until then- planning. It’s important.”

And so they did.


	6. More Planning

“There is absolutely no way- _no_ _way_ \- that I am letting either of you anywhere near Mustafar. So get off of it. You’re going to Utapau.” Vader was firm on this. Mustafar was a bad place. A place where a man could lose… everything.

“What do you have against Mustafar?” Luke asked. “Don’t you have a castle there or something?”

“I have a castle?” Anakin asked. Vader ignored that comment, focusing on Luke’s instead.

The answer _was_ yes, he did have a castle on Mustafar, but- “It wasn’t like I had a _choice_.” _Like Sidious would ever say, Oh Lord Vader? Would you like a castle on Mustafar, the planet you lost everything, including but not limited to your brother, your wife, your children, and a working body?_ Vader shook the thought away, saying “Obi-Wan went to Tattoine. That’s worse.”

“Tattoine isn’t so bad,” Luke said, and both Vader and Anakin turned as one, betrayed indignation in every line of their faces.

Vader spoke before Anakin could. “I can go to Mustafar and stay away” far, _far_ away, “from the lava. I put one foot on Tattoine and the sand is _everywhere._ There is _no_ escape.”

Obi-Wan and Luke looked at each other, rolling their eyes almost in unison. Vader almost felt offended.

…---…

“We can’t send Padme to Utapau.” Obi-Wan said, “We need all the fights to begin at very close to the same time. If Palpatine is watching her, then he’ll know something is wrong as soon as we try to move her, which means the team that goes after her has to go at the same time as all the other fights begin.”

Everyone knew Obi-Wan was right, none of them were happy about it. Finally, Luke spoke. “I should go after her. With one other Jedi so they can figure out where she lives. I’m hopeless with addresses here.”

“No.” Older Anakin said. “You’re staying with me.”

Luke seemed to be vacillating between extremely pleased and extremely irritated. “Father,” he said. “I’m very good at staying away from Sith Lords. I seem to remember a certain very determined Sith Lord chasing me for over three years and never capturing me.”

Older Anakin was glaring at Luke now. “That’s because you do stupid things like jump off of gantrys!”

“It worked didn’t it?”

“If you were trying to give me a heart attack!”

Obi-Wan silently thanked the force for sending Luke to Anakin. There was justice in this world after all.

…---…

“I think you’re all overreacting,” Anakin said, “I feel like everything will turn out just fine.”

Which was true. He felt amazing. Like he was on top of the world. Like nothing would ever go wrong again.

“You’re body is overcompensating.” Older Anakin said, looking almost thoughtful.

“Hmm?” Anakin asked. He wished that these chairs spun. That’d be fun. He still felt great.

“Sidious has probably been pumping you full of fear since you were nine. Your body, in an attempt to compensate, has been pumping you full of happy juice. The fear is gone, but your body is still used to giving out the happy juice. Overcompensation.”

That didn’t really sound healthy… but Anakin felt great. What could possibly go wrong?

…---…

“You may need to kidnap her.” Vader said. Luke jerked, staring at him.

“What is it with you and capturing family members?” he asked.

Vader winced and Luke felt a twinge of guilt.

“You cannot explain everything in the apartment. Though we will be attacking Sidious around the time you go to get her, there are probably still cameras in the apartment. We need the public to believe that the Chancellor isn’t dead, merely injured and recovering until we get the chips out of the clones. That means you cannot explain everything until you are already away.”

Luke hesitated. “She won’t just come?” he asked, “Even with a message from Anakin?”

Vader’s lips twitched into something like a smile. “I’d imagine not.” He said, “Currently she’s in the middle of beginning the rebellion. I don’t think she’ll take kindly to you trying to take her away from it.”

Luke felt as though he was beginning to regret winning the argument. Why couldn’t anything ever be simple?

…---…

“Anakin.” Windu said. Anakin looked up. “Other Anakin.” Windu repeated.

Vader glanced up at that. “That name…” he said, jabbing a finger at Windu, and then he hesitated. What else were they supposed to call him? Vader? “Is my name yes. What do you need?”

Luke was laughing at him. Insolent child.

…---…

They stood. Obi-Wan and Anakin would be leaving for Utapau around the same time as two other Jedi Luke didn’t know were going to Mustafar.

Vader wasn’t actually sure if the council was on Mustafar yet, but he knew that they would be. Probably.

Luke breathed in and out. This could work. They were from the future, if they couldn’t get this to work they were really stupid.

Luke started when he noticed Anakin was right in front of him. Anakin seemed to hesitate for a long moment, then he reached out, squeezing Luke’s shoulder. “Keep her safe, alright?” he asked.

Luke swallowed, then nodded. He’d meet his mother soon. Padme. Soon.

…---…

Obi-Wan approached Older Anakin. He hadn’t missed the way the man usually referred to him as Kenobi. The way his features always showed such _pain_ when he thought of the other Obi-Wan.

He didn’t know what they’d done to each other. He didn’t _want_ to know what they’d done to each other.

“Anakin?” he said, and Older Anakin looked up, his blue eyes, almost the only familiar facial feature, showing surprise.

“Yes?” he asked.

Obi-Wan took another step forward and held out his left hand, clasping Older Anakin’s wrist. “I believe in you,” Obi-Wan said. “I wish I could be with you, but since I can’t, good luck.”

The sheer shock on Older Anakin’s face was saddening, but finally, the man smiled. “You beat him last time,” he said, “Even though you’ll be babysitting this time I think you’ll manage to beat him again.”

Obi-Wan smiled.

…---…

On a ship bound for Utapau Obi-Wan turned to Anakin. “Padme?” Anakin asked, wincing and looking for all the world like he expected Obi-Wan to smack him. Which he wouldn’t. No matter how much he was tempted.

“Padme.” Obi-Wan confirmed.

Anakin ran a hand through his hair, looking like his apprehension from moments before was entirely forgotten. “We got married right after Genosis.” He said, and Obi-Wan nodded, waiting for him to continue. “We decided-”

Obi-Wan’s brain caught up with Anakin’s words. “Married!?” It felt like he was shouting. Odd.


	7. Conflict is messy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidious is confronted  
> So is Grevious  
> And the seperatist leaders
> 
> The temple is evacuated  
> Padme is convinced to leave town

“It kind of makes sense actually,” Anakin said, voice soft though far from somber. “That the Chancellor is the Sith Lord. Makes lots of pieces fit. How the Seppies were so often one step ahead- how when it seemed like everything was ending- when peace was near- it was ripped away.”

Obi-Wan sighed softly. He’d failed Anakin, failed him badly.

How had he missed a Sith Lord’s bond in Anakin’s mind? Why had he allowed Palpatine- Sidious, so much access to Anakin? He’d been a nine-year-old, ripped from the only home he’d ever known. Obi-Wan had tried to be there, but he had still been grieving too. Palpatine had always made time for Anakin. And Anakin had loved the attention. The praise.

Anakin wasn’t finished talking though. “If I ever confessed to him, anything, he said I had to do it. That it was right, that I was right. He told me to kill Dooku when Dooku was unarmed and at my mercy. He was always saying that the Jedi didn’t understand me, were holding me back. He told me I couldn’t trust you with my secrets. He took me places when I was a kid and told me not to tell you. Lots of stuff.”

Obi-Wan felt himself straightening, staring at Anakin. “You killed Dooku when he couldn’t fight back?” he asked.

That… wasn’t what he should have said. But the rest of it… it made his blood boil to think of what Palpatine had tried to twist, what Palpatine had tried to break. And… what Palpatine had succeeded in breaking.

But that was why they were together now. Why the older Anakin had sent them off to kill Grevious together. They weren’t going to break apart. Not this time.

Anakin had been laying on his bunk, idly tossing a ball up into the air and catching it, over and over again. Not looking at Obi-Wan.

He caught the ball and sat up, turning towards Obi-Wan. The happy chemicals still hadn’t worn off- no one on the council was sure when they would, if Anakin ever would fully recover, and they hadn’t had time to get him checked up.

Even with them though, Obi-Wan could still see the hurt, and shame, in Anakin’s eyes. Anakin didn’t hold his gaze for long. “I said no at first.” He said, voice soft. “But when I said no it just felt so… wrong. And everything he was saying… it seemed to make sense. I don’t know. It was still my choice. I chose wrong. And then he told me to leave you behind- I can’t believe I didn’t see that something was wrong then. You don’t just leave the people who come to save you behind!”

“He told you to leave me behind?” Obi-Wan asked. He felt like a broken record, unable to make his own words, just repeating what Anakin said.

It made sense- if Palpatine had been able to convince Anakin to leave him behind that would be one less person who would be able to support Anakin. The guilt of leaving Obi-Wan wouldn’t have helped his mental state either. It would have made him easier to manipulate.

Anakin nodded, perking up again. “Yep. But I’d never leave you Obi-Wan. I wouldn’t.”

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment, then stood, moving over to Anakin and resting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. “I won’t leave you either.” He said, and it was a promise.

…---…

Luke watched Vader pace. It was kind of amusing, especially since he had to keep his life support suspended around him the whole time to make sure he wasn’t going to get snagged on anything and die.

Then it became less amusing when he realized just how easy it would be for his father to die in this. It made him want to change his mind, to go with Vader and confront Sidious no matter the consequences.

But he couldn’t. He needed to save his mother.

He breathed, in and out. They had less than five minutes before it was go time.

Vader’s force presence had changed since Anakin had left, becoming much more like what it had once been. It’d been interesting to watch the change.

Vader had buried his light deep. Now, he was burying the darkness, compressing it into a tiny ball in the middle of what made him- him, and letting the light shine through. It was fascinating, and apparently slightly painful. Not that Vader complained.

Luke hesitated for a moment longer. “Father.” He said.

Vader stopped, turning towards him. The other council members were still busy organizing everything. They were mostly alone.

Luke stepped forward, wrapping his arms around his father in as tight an embrace as he dared what with all the life support equipment hanging around.

Vader froze, much like he had when Luke had touched him before, in the Jedi council chamber.

Feeling seeped through their bond. Surprise. Wonder, and something that was almost like peace.

Vader’s arms, or arm, as one was still missing, wrapped around Luke and pulled him closer.

“Thank you, Father.” Luke said, voice muffled against the bigger man’s chest. “Thanks for everything.”

Vader was silent for a long moment. “The day I found out I was going to be a father was the happiest day of my life.” He finally said. “I loved you then, even though I didn’t know you.”

He stopped then. The rest went unsaid, but not unheard. “I love you too.” Luke said, and he was pretty sure the sound Vader made was one of affection rather than annoyance.

Vader didn’t release his hold on Luke until it was time to go. Luke smiled at him. Vader nodded, and then he was gone.

…---…

Vader focused on breathing. In and out. He glanced over, at Yoda and Windu. “Are you two shielding yet?” he asked.

“Yes.” Windu said.

“It’s terrible.” Vader said. “It shows anyone who’s looking that you have something to hide.”

Darkness was far better at hiding things than light. He reached out, hiding them properly. Yoda and Windu exchanged a glance. Vader chose to ignore it. Sidious would only see Anakin coming. Anakin, determined, slightly terrified, alone.

He wouldn’t know what hit him.

They were in the Senate building now. They were going up the elevator. Vader kept breathing.

He walked forward, pressing the button to gain admittance into the room.

The door opened, and Sidious looked up, a gentle smile on his face, “Ana-”

He stopped, staring at Vader and the two Jedi who stood in front of him.

Vader smiled, pressing the button. Go Time. All transmissions to and from the Senate Building would be jammed for the forceable future. And… everything else would begin. “Not quite.” He said.

They’d given him and Luke lightsabers- though they’d been loathe to do so. He held his loosely in his left hand. He probably wouldn’t use it, not with all his life support… but he’d needed one. “Sidious,” Vader said, “We are here to arrest you, on charges including but not limited to murder and orchestrating a war.”

Vader watched Sidious’s eyes widen fractionally. Vader just kept smiling.

…---…

In the Jedi temple Master Che was implementing an evacuation. Children first- all going to different safe places, far from clones, throughout the galaxy. Some of the safe places were safer than other, the youngest children went there.

After that- the level of safety was compared with the level of skill the children and few knights they had were able to handle.

She wouldn’t breathe easy until the children and all her patients were safely away. She hated to move them… but better they die in transit than at the hands of clones who couldn’t stop themselves.

…---…

All around the galaxy, Jedi commanded their troops to turn off all long-range communications. Many of them didn’t know why.

But they did it anyways.

…---…

Luke was nervous. He was going to meet his mother. Was he supposed to tell her that she was his mother? Say something like “Hey, I’m your time traveling son from the future! We are here to rescue you so your husband, my father, will probably not become a murderous Sith Lord! Though I love him anyways.”

What else could he say?

Was he actually going to kidnap her?

He knocked on the door. Father had said she should be home now… Still. Luke was not prepared for a golden protocol droid to open the door. “Threepio?” He said.

…---…

Jedi Knight Kinto Bart arrived in the space around Mustafar with Jedi Knight Reno Laft in time to see the Seperatist leaders come out of hyperspace.

Kinto cursed.

They might be able to kill some of them, even most of them- but capture would be almost impossible.

They had expected the leaders to already be down on the planet, without a quick getaway available.

Still- they would try.

…---…

Apparently Obi-Wan had done this alone before and won. So he was fighting Grevious and Anakin was handling the Magna Guards.

He had a feeling that he probably should have protested, but really, what could go wrong?

Obi-Wan was great. Everything was great.

They would kill Grevious and capture the Seperatist Council and kill Sidious and he could be with Padme and Obi-Wan wasn’t going to leave him…

Life was wonderful.

Except for the war, which was going to be over soon anyways.

Anakin smiled.

…---…

“Oh,” Threepio said, “How embarrassing. My memory banks must be malfunctioning, I’m afraid I don’t know you Master…”

“Luke.” Luke said.

“Who is it?” Someone called, and Luke’s breath caught in his throat. His mother.

She came to the door, and she was beautiful. Leia looked a lot like her.

“Hello?” she said. “What’re the Jedi doing here?”

Luke found truths pouring out of his mouth before he could think that Vader had told him not too… in case. “Palpatine is the Sith Lord Sidious.” He said, and Padme blanched. He kept going before she could say anything. “He knows about you and Anakin and wants to use you to turn Anakin to the dark side. Make him a Sith. You need to come with us, so we can keep you and him and the twins safe.”

Padme looked conflicted. “There are things I need to do here…” she said.

“My father is going after Sidious now with Yoda and Windu.” He said. “If all ends well a rebellion won’t be necessary.”

If anything Padme got paler as her eyes narrowed. He knew too much- things he wasn’t supposed to know. Knowing too much was driving her away.

“I’ll explain everything on the ship,” he said.

She shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, “But I can’t…”

 _Sorry Mom,_ he thought.

And he kidnapped her.

…---…

Grevious was good. Anakin knew that Obi-Wan had won last time and he had a feeling that everything would be okay… but he also felt a trickle of worry.

He should probably be focusing on his own fight but…

Grevious fought with lightsabers, but he wasn’t force sensitive. Which meant… Anakin stretched out. It was the work of a moment to turn Grevious’s lightsabers off all at once, and Anakin wondered why he’d never thought to do something like that before.

Obi-Wan’s saber fell, and Grevious was dead.

But they still had the Magna Guards to deal with…

…---…

Most of the Seperatist leaders got away, shooting off through Hyperspace to who knows where. They hadn’t captured anyone.

They’d shot down one ship.

Kinto cursed.

…---…

Sidious attacked. Vader jumped out of the way, cursing his life support systems all the way. Sure, they were more comfortable, but how was he supposed to fight, how was he supposed to protect himself with all of it trailing after him?

Yoda and Windu jumped forward, engaging Sidious.

They were good, very good. But so was Sidious.

Blades flashed, almost faster than the eye could truly comprehend.

Vader breathed in, deeply, then reached for his bond with Sidious.

Most of the time, when one was severing a training bond they did it like cutting hair. It wasn’t painful. It dissolved easily on both sides.

But Vader needed to cause pain. So, without giving himself time to think of it, he grabbed the bond between them, a bond that had strengthened when he’d willingly pulled it into his mind, and pulled.

Pulling hair up by the roots hurt, and the more hair that was pulled at once, the more it hurt. The bond tried to hold on, gripping his mind like a vice. Vader just pulled harder.

The bond ripped free and it felt like there was a hole in his mind. Air was still being forced into his lungs and he didn’t want it. He ripped the mask off but that just made it worse and now he _couldn’t_ breathe…

Vader was on his knees and why was he on his knees? He didn’t want to kneel. He wasn’t a slave.

He saw Yoda’s blade cut through Sidious, then Windu’s sever the man’s head.

Dead.

Like he’d be soon because he couldn’t breathe. Black spots gathered in front of his eyes, which was almost a relief because at least they weren’t _red_.

Then Windu was there, shoving the mask back against his face and the air was coming again. Yoda’s clawed hand rested against his head and Vader felt the pain ease.

Vader closed his eyes, sighing softly. It was over. Sidious was dead.

They still needed to deal with the clones… but dealing with the Seperatists should be coming along nicely and…

Something clicked into place around his left wrist.

Vader’s eyes snapped open, staring at the binder around his wrist that was also connected to his belt because he didn’t have two hands.

He blinked, looking between the Jedi and his wrist. Honestly, he should have expected something like this but… why’d they save him just to lock him up? He would have been dead fairly soon without air.

“You’re being arrested for attempted murder of the Chancellor.” Windu said, looking slightly apologetic.

“Does Obi-Wan know?” Vader asked.

“No,” Windu said, and Vader breathed a sigh of relief.

“So,” He said, “You’re arresting a one-armed man who is floating his life support behind him for attempting to murder the Chancellor?” Vader asked, “Who’d believe that?”

“Believe it was a Jedi, they would not.” Yoda said, hmming.

Vader stared at him for a long moment. The whole thing worked the first time _because_ everyone thought that the Jedi had attempted a takeover. When Sidious had said that Jedi had attacked him, left him scarred, and declared himself Emperor, the people had _cheered_.

He was still laughing when his jail cell’s door clanged shut.


	8. A long awaited meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin loses some memories. Luke and Padme talk.

Chapter Eight

Anakin blinked, feeling as though something was peeling its way out of his mind. It was a rather odd experience, though not entirely unpleasant. It was a bit like scratching a bug bite, except it went away a lot faster.

He hesitated for a long moment when it was over, then shrugged. Things seemed to be going well. No need to worry.

…---…

Luke could tell his mother was not happy. She had a blank expression on her face… but that didn’t mean much.

They were in hyperspace now though, so it would be hard for her to escape. They just needed to get to the rendezvous point with Obi-Wan and Anakin.

Luke hesitated, then moved closer to his mother. “I know you aren’t happy,” he said.

She turned a baleful look on him. He tried not to cringe. “This is an explanation.” He said.

He held out a message for her, which she took, grudgingly. Anakin popped up. He waved at them, grinning. “Padme!” he said, “At this point you should be away from Coursaunt, which is really good!”

Padme blinked, looking somewhat dumbfounded. “This,” Anakin said, pulling Luke into the recording, “Is our time-traveling son Luke. It looks like you were right!”

Vader’s voice started in the background. “You are terrible at explaining things.” He said.

Anakin rolled his eyes. “And that is my grumpy time traveling older self.”

Anakin took a breath, focusing. “So, to start from the beginning. Palpatine appointed me to the Jedi High Council. They agreed to my appointment, but as they were agreeing three people just appeared in the room! And old me stole my lightsaber and killed Old Sidious in defense of our son, Luke.

“So we were all, “Who are you and how did you get here,” and they were like we are from the future and we know who the Sith Lord is. And we were like- tell us. But they would not. So the council was stupid, except Obi-Wan and me, and went against the time travelers and did a DNA test and the Sith Lord is Palpatine.

“So Old me was all, we gotta get Padme out so Sidious doesn’t use her against Anakin and we were going to take you to Utapau but the timing didn’t work and Luke wanted to meet you so he went to get you. Obi-Wan and I will meet you soon Angel. I love you.” He grinned, while several people behind him seemed to be having trouble breathing properly based on the noises they were making.

He almost stopped the recording, but Vader stole it before he could, His scarred face, covered in the breathing mask, filled the screen. “For proof we are including a medical droid. You are carrying twins, a boy and a girl.”

“Twins?!” Anakin shouted in the background, and Obi-Wan shushed him.

“You don’t know, I didn’t know. Time travel. Also, kidnapping was my idea. Don’t blame Luke.” Vader said, and the video cut out.

Pame stared at it for a long moment. “Let’s find this medical droid.” She said, and they did. 

…---…

Vader was bored. He wondered how everything was going. If the clones were getting the chips removed already. How long they had before people demanded to see the Chancellor. How long before the ruse that he’d been the one to try to assassinate the Chancellor was revealed. Admittedly, the last one wasn’t really a lie. He had tried. He just hadn’t tried alone.

Vader was angry, at the Jedi for imprisoning him and himself for not making a plan for that eventuality.

And… he was scared. How was Luke? Had they gotten out safely? And there were holes… gaps in his memory now. Places where he knew things went, but he couldn’t remember what they _were_.

He was fairly certain entire _years_ from before he’d found Luke were missing.

With his remaining hand he tried to scratch at the force suppression collar around his neck. They couldn’t use the ones that attached on the wrists, he didn’t have enough skin for that.

The collar was awful. He’d been a slave his whole life, to Gardulla, to Watto, to the Jedi, and the Sidious. This collar was like a representation of his years of servitude. It made him feel far more caged than the actual prison cell did.

Vader couldn’t access the force so he couldn’t move very well, he had to keep the life support going.

Vader growled, wishing he could pace, wishing he could do anything. But he couldn’t.

He didn’t give up though. He was the most powerful force user to have ever lived. He could reach past these binders, eventually. And when he did…

The Jedi would not like to see the monster they had unleashed.

The _real_ problem was that Luke wouldn’t like it either.

If Luke was even alive. Vader didn't really want to think about that, but he couldn't stop. 

If Luke was dead... No. He couldn't be. He'd be fine. He had to be. 

…---…

“What happened to Anakin?” Padme asked, “He looked so… happy. Carefree.”

Luke would admit to being disappointed that she hadn’t asked about him first… but she didn’t even know him.

“Sidious bound their minds together without his permission,” Luke said, “Father took the bond from Anakin and put it into his own mind. The bond affected Anakin’s emotions, made him more fearful. Apparently his body tried to compensate by creating tons of happy juices, and when the bond was gone his body didn’t stop producing so he’s on a bit of a natural high right now.”

Padme blinked, looking between Luke and the video.

Finally, she patted the bench beside her. Luke sat hastily. She reached out a gentle hand, resting it against his cheek. Luke furiously blinked back tears. This was his mother.

“You’re my son.” She said, wonder evident in her voice.

Luke nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak.

“I died in your time,” she said, “Didn’t I?”

Luke nodded.

“Do you know how?” she asked.

Luke shook his head. “I always heard that it was childbirth.” Luke took a deep breath, swallowing, “But Ben also said- He also lied about other stuff. I don’t know. I’m sorry.” His voice broke on the last word, and Padme gathered him, slightly awkwardly around her pregnant stomach, into her arms, stroking his hair.

“Hush now,” she murmured, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

He wanted to say that it was okay, but really it wasn’t. Because she had died and his father had lived and now they were both alive, but she wasn’t really _his_ mother. She hadn’t raised him. She would raise the other Luke, but not him. And that hurt.

Eventually Luke calmed. Padme smiled at him. “Would you mind telling me about yourself?” she asked, and Luke smiled.

He told her about his childhood on Tattoine and Ben, or Obi-Wan, watching over him. He told her about his interests, mostly piloting and mechanics with a dash of defeat the empire tossed in.

She smiled as he talked, and then he asked her questions, things he’d always wanted to know about her. It wasn’t like he’d really had a chance to ask father…

She told him about how they met. How they got married.

Their conversation drifted into silence, and Luke leaned against her as she wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

Even if nothing else good came out of their coming to the past, this would make everything worth it. He could just be with his mother.

…---…

It’d worked. Anakin grinned at Obi-Wan, who smiled back.

Anakin decided that wasn’t exuberant enough. He grabbed Obi-Wan in a tight hug. It wasn’t like Obi-Wan would push him away, he’d promised not to leave after all. He’d promised.

Obi-Wan relaxed into the hug, arms coming around Anakin to hug him back.

“We did it.” Anakin whispered, hardly daring to believe it. “We did it.”

They were still cleaning up after the battle with Grievous when the news had come in, _Darth Vader arrested for attempted murder of Chancellor Palpatine._

Anakin hadn’t remembered arresting someone being part of the plan, but whoever had volunteered for that job deserved some serious respect. Anakin had heard that prison food was terrible.

Obi-Wan had looked at it and frowned, seeming worried. More than usual. Anakin was pretty sure everything would be fine though. They killed Grievous, they killed Sidious, they’d get the chips out of the clones, Obi-Wan was safe, Luke was safe, Padme was safe…

Anakin couldn’t wait for the rendezvous with Padme.

She’d probably insist on going back to Coursaunt as soon as they got the all clear, though the Jedi would leave the children in the safe places until they’d made sure the clones got the chip removed. Then, they could _all_ go home.

All in all, this had been a very good week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So- in case anyone is confused...  
> Why did Anakin and Vader's memories get kinda messed up?
> 
> When Vader ripped the bond out of his mind it ripped a fair portion of his memories out with it- not all the bad ones, but a fair portion of them.   
> Since he and Anakin share a mind they are both affected, it just hurt Anakin less cause he had less to lose
> 
> So... yah.


	9. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vader is concerned.  
> Luke is angry.  
> Obi-Wan is both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So- I had a sister of mine read this over and she said some of the nightmare stuff might be objectionable for a G rating. I don't see it but whatever. Nightmares are just italicized. The chapter can be read without them.

Vader hated this cell. He hated this collar. He hated that he was so very _weak_. He hated that he couldn’t even pace properly. He couldn’t stay awake indefinitely- without the Force he needed sleep, _true_ sleep, but he _couldn’t_ sleep. Not here. Not where the nightmares could so easily find him.

He was tired though. He knew it would be a problem later but he couldn’t prevent his eyes from sliding closed.

 _Fire and screaming and broken bodies scattered across the floor, bodies that were so_ tiny _, so small to be snuffed out._

_Two broken men fought on a burning planet that managed to steal both their names._

_Vader burnt- he was burning still- and the flames only died down when there was nothing left to consume. Obi-Wan walked away._

_“Your lightsaber is your life,” he’d said, and he’d taken the lightsaber and left the man._

Vader woke up trying to gasp. Then he stood. He wouldn’t allow himself to fall asleep again. The collar’s force suppression had spiderweb thin cracks in it, Vader worked on forcing them wider. Once they were big enough- he’d be free. He’d find Luke first. Luke was first. Luke would always be first.

_…---…_

_Vader watched as Luke clung to the gantry in Bespin one handed. “Don’t make me destroy you,” Vader said, and the words burnt his tongue. Luke jumped once again, but he didn’t jump down, he jumped_ up _, and Vader struck. Luke was crumpling to the ground, but now they were on Mustafar and Luke didn’t have_ any _limbs. He was going to fall in the lava- he was going to fall-_

_The fire began eating at Luke and Luke was screaming, “Please! Father!” Over and over again._

_Vader tried to go to him, he needed to go to him, but something was yanking at his neck, pulling him back. “Luke!” he shouted, “Luke!”_

_He heard the clanking sound of chain links rattling against one another and turned, ready to rip whoever held his leash apart. Sidious stood there, holding the chains, laughing._

_Vader’s hand plunged into Sidious’s chest, but there was no heart to squeeze. Blood bubbled out of Sidious’s mouth as he crumpled, still laughing. If anything the chains tightened with his death._

_Vader tried again, to go to Luke, to get away, but the collar was there. He grabbed at it, trying to rip it off- he needed to get to Luke, he had to_ save _him-_

Vader woke to find a woman he didn’t know hovering over him, checking the machines that kept him alive. The clone troopers who’d been guarding his cell were inside of it holding him down, and looking at those helmets he relaxed. The men behind them had saved his life more times than he’d care to count.

Vader started to feel tired again, but that was wrong. He could never sleep after a nightmare. And how could he know if Luke was alright if he was sleeping? The woman was messing with a needle stuck in the shoulder of his right arm. The troopers were holding him so all Vader could move was his head. He turned as best as he could towards one of the troopers. “Where’s Luke?” He asked, “Is he alive?”

He couldn’t feel Luke- he couldn’t feel his son-

The troopers helmet moved so it was focusing more on Vader’s face. “Luke?” he asked. “Did he help in your assassination attempt?”

Vader shook his head. “Sidious tried… kill Luke. Had to kill him. Had to kill him to save Luke.” There were more words- so many more that he needed to say but they got garbled in his mouth, strange and twisted. Sleep was pulling him ever closer but he fought it.

“Luke.” He was begging now. “Where’s my son?”

His vision was blurring but he still saw the troopers glance at each other. Did they know? Were they keeping Luke from him? Didn’t they know he was just trying to save Luke?

Finally the woman patted him on the head, gently. “I’m sure Luke is just fine,” she said, and with her reassurance he finally let himself fall unconscious.

…---…

Vader couldn’t stay awake on his own. He started talking to his guards. He was too tired to lie well or dissemble much. It was… interesting.

“So. Sith Lord with a son?”

“He is mine.”

“Like a slave?”

“I wouldn’t enslave my own son!” Which was only partially true. To save Luke’s life he’d been willing to do exactly that.

“Any job benefits to being a Sith?”

“If you enjoy the misery and pain of yourself and others, or if you enjoy power with no one to share it with.”

“Huh. Why’d you become a Sith then?”

 _I was trying to save my wife._ “Because I was a fool.”

_She died anyways._

They told him about the war and when his trial was going to be held.

It was soon, too soon. There was no way all the clones would be free by then. That presented… problems.

…---…

The nightmares continued. Vader couldn’t evade them forever, He was injured, tired, and old. He slept without giving himself permission to sleep.

Almost every time he found himself waking calling for Luke.

Luke never came.

Vader tried to convince himself that Luke was fine. They were just taking a bit longer than expected. It would be alright. Luke would be alright.

Vader just wished that he believed his own lies.

…---…

Windu hadn’t been expecting a visit from the clone troopers guarding Older Anakin’s cell unless the man tried to escape, which he hadn’t.

Rie spoke, describing Anakin’s nightmare and what he’d said. “We think,” Rie took a deep breath, “It seems like Sidious threatened his son and he tried to kill Chancellor Palpatine to save him. He might- he might cooperate if we offer to look for and try to save his son.”

Which was entirely true in some ways and so very _off_ in others.

…---…

Luke stared at the headline. “Those…” he said, “Those…” He growled, unable to find the right words to express just _exactly_ what he was feeling about the Jedi Council right now.

Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Padme were all looking at him with varying amounts of concern.

“What’s the problem?” Padme asked. “Isn’t this good news? That Sidious is dead?”

Luke wasn’t really paying attention.

“Do they have any idea how hard it was to get him to kill Sidious the first time? How much of a miracle it was that he agreed to work with _them_ to kill Sidious a second time?”

He was pacing. He didn’t usually pace. This… he’d been picking up habits from his father. That probably wasn’t a good thing. “They probably wouldn’t care even if they knew.” He said, not knowing if it was true and too mulish to think on it, “They’d just arrest him anyways. Nevermind that he killed their Sith Lord _twice.”_

“They arrested your father.” Obi-Wan said, and his voice was carefully controlled, like he already known but really didn’t want to think about it. Luke nodded.

…---…

Half formed suspicions and doubts crystalized into knowledge as pieces connected in Obi-Wan’s mind. Obi-Wan remembered Older Anakin’s list of _Things Sidious Wants_. On the top of the list, Darth Vader.

To keep Sidious from getting Darth Vader he’d sent Obi-Wan _and_ Anakin to Utapau.

Darth Vader, a name Luke instantly recognized as one belonging to his father.

“Wait,” Padme said, holding up a hand. “Future Anakin is your father. Who’s Darth Vader?”

Luke gaped at her for a long moment, mouth working and no sound coming out. When Luke did speak though his tone was steady. “Darth Vader was the name Darth Sidious gave my father, Anakin Skywalker, when he turned to the Dark Side.” Luke said, “You’ll have to ask my father if you want more of the story. All I’ll say is that he turned against the Emperor to save my life at risk of his own.”

The silence in the ship was suffocating. That last thing couldn’t really be disputed, Obi-Wan had seen Older Anakin kill Sidious and seen the state the man was in afterwards. Still…

“Why?” Obi-Wan finally asked, “Why’d he do it?”

Luke’s discomfort seemed to be growing. “I don’t know,” he said, quietly, “Ben told me… he told me lies. If he ever knew why father turned he never told me, and I haven’t really had a chance to ask Father in person.”

Not for the first time, Obi-Wan wondered if Ben was another name for him. He’d gone by Ben before… Obi-Wan thought back to the first day Older Anakin had crashed into the Council chamber. He’d felt… murky.

Then Obi-Wan thought of the burns that covered all of Anakin. Had he been tortured into joining Sidious?

The burns, combined with the missing limbs and other wounds, couldn’t have been an accident.

 _You’ll wish he killed you,_ Older Anakin had said. What _him_ was he talking about? Was it Sidious? Or… had it been someone else?

…---…

Vader was mildly surprised when Yoda visited him in prison. Mostly though, he was concerned. The only reason they’d be here…” Luke,” he said, finding himself on his feet. He needed out- he needed this collar off- he needed to find Luke- “Where is he? Is he alright?”

He couldn’t help but think back to a similar conversation, a similar desperation. _Padme._

And the answer, _You killed her._

Luke had to be alright. He couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t-

Yoda’s gimer stick struck the ground forcefully. “Fine, Luke is.” He said, “Safe, they all are.”

Vader breathed out shakily. He couldn’t tell for sure if the troll was lying, but he didn’t seem to be. Vader sat back down, watching Yoda for a long moment.

“Why are you here then?” he asked, “Come to let me out?” Which… obviously not, but weirder things had happened.

Yoda shook his head. “Wait, we must.”

“Wait for what?” Vader asked, feeling his temper rise. “Wait for the chips to be out of the clones? For the clones to get full rights as equal citizens. For the war to end? For _peace_?”

Sidious had said that peace was a lie, which was something Vader still agreed with, somewhat. Nothing would ever go completely right, there would always be _someone_ willing and wanting to do damage, _some_ war being fought, _some_ blood being spilt. Some individual people could find peace in their lives, but everyone could not find peace.

Yoda sighed softly, ears drooping. “Great darkness in you there is.” He said, softly. “Turn you did.”

Vader watching him for a long moment. “Is that the real reason I’m in here then? Not because you needed a scapegoat who isn’t a Jedi but because I turned? Because darkness will forever dominate my destiny?” His tone was scathing by the end.

If it was possible, Yoda’s ears drooped further. “Fail you, we did. Fail us, you did.” He said.

“What did you expect would happen?” Vader said, “You gave a Sith Lord unrestricted access to a nine-year-old.”

“Know he was a Sith Lord, we did not.” Yoda replied sharply, though he seemed more sad than angry.

“Then you gave a politician unrestricted access to a nine-year-old.” Vader snapped. “Not much better.”

“Had no choice did you?” Yoda said, and Vader felt the sudden urge to grind his teeth. “Wrong master for you Obi-Wan was? Teach you well he did not? Options you did not have?”

Vader clenched his jaw. Of course he’d had a choice. It just hadn’t really been one he’d wanted to make.

He hadn’t been willing to give her up, and so he’d… he’d… he couldn’t remember. Not all of it. He remembered joining Palpatine and leading the clones to the temple… then darkness. He was killing the Separatist leaders- he saw Padme- blackness- he was fighting Obi-Wan. Burning. Being remade.

He remembered waking up- Palpatine telling him he’d killed Padme- but he didn’t actually remember doing it. And if he had… how was Luke alive? Or Leia? Was Leia even alive anymore? She was in the future… was it possible to return there? For Luke’s sake if not his own…

“Obi-Wan was the best master I could have had.” Vader finally said. “And I did fail him.”

Yoda probably noticed that he’d basically said he didn’t care about the rest of the Jedi, but the troll didn’t comment on it. He sat there in silence as the seconds ticked away until, finally, he left.

The dreams continued.


	10. Prison isn't fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People talk to people  
> Stuff happens

Padme insisted on returning to Coursant as soon as possible. Yes, she was pregnant, and tired, and cranky, but Sidious was dead, Padme was needed, and she was going.

It was quieter than she expected in the Senate building, she’d expected pandemonium. Then she realized that most of the people in the room didn’t know two very important things. One, Palpatine was the Sith Lord who’d masterminded the whole war. Two, Palpatine was dead, not recovering.

The whole thing with the chips in the clones was a problem too, and one she was here to start addressing.

They needed to get the chips out, and for that they needed funding.

The Jedi healers were already doing all they could, working to get as many clones free as possible, but they needed to rid themselves of _some_ of the secrecy and get more medical professionals working on it. There were thousands upon thousands of clones, all of which they’d need to get through surgery as soon as possible. That meant organization.

The Seperatist leaders had escaped, but with the loss of Sidious, Grievous and Dooku the Seperatists had stopped advancing. It was a stalemate for now, an almost truce that Padme wished she could trust.

Padme clutched the chip she held tighter in her hand.

She’d tell the Senators she trusted first, then they’d come up with a plan. One way or another, the chips were coming out. The clones were going to be free.

…---…

Technically speaking, no one was allowed to visit the prisoners in these cells.

Also technically speaking, Luke had been a rebel for years and had gotten in the habit of breaking stupid laws.

Also, Obi-Wan was with him so if Obi-Wan was breaking laws it probably wasn’t really breaking laws at all.

There were two clones standing in front of Vader’s cell.

The cell was… odd. The walls were nearly translucent, but the door itself was opaque, a dull grey color. It sent a lot of interesting messages, none of which Luke really wanted to look at.

Luke focused on the troopers. “I need to speak to Vader alone.” He said.

His father’s face jerked up, staring at him. He looked horrible. Not that’d he’d ever really looked good- but he looked worse than he had in the planning session and that was saying something.

Luke felt the bottom of his stomach drop out as he saw the collar around his father’s neck. On the left side of his neck the skin was red- it looked like Vader had been trying to pry the thing off but only managed to peel off his own skin. Luke felt a moment’s gladness that his father only had one arm.

Then anger came. They’d put a collar on his father like… _The Emperor’s hound_ he’d been called and- that wasn’t-

“Luke,” Vader whispered, and a smile split his face.

The clone troopers were staring at him now. “You’re Luke?” They asked.

“Yes?” Luke said.

“He’s been having nightmares about you dying since he got here.” One of the troopers informed him, which was concerning even before Obi-Wan blanched white, grabbing Luke’s arm as if to make sure Luke was in fact still alive.

“What?” Obi-Wan said, voice strangled.

“Not that kind of dream,” Vader said, “Thankfully. I don’t think I could have that kind of dream with this collar.”

He prodded it with his fingers and Obi-Wan winced minutely.

…---…

“How’re you holding up?” Obi-Wan asked, voice soft. Vader did appreciate it, and at the same time he didn’t.

“Well enough,” Vader said, which was a lie that one the Clone Troopers coughed dramatically at. “I wouldn’t mind getting a recording of Sidious saying Execute Order Sixty-Six and unleash it somewhere near Windu and Yoda, but I believe I am perfectly fine otherwise.”

That story was actually rather tame compared with what he actually wanted to do, but still. Luke was here. Better to not let the blood spill.

“Execute Order Sixty-Six?” Rie asked.

Vader could feel the shift in Talo through his spiderweb of force sense. _Force,_ he thought as Talo lifted his blaster without any hesitation at all and fired at Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan’s saber was out and deflecting the fire but Vader couldn’t focus on that. When he’d been younger he’d found and studied schematics for the slave implants almost compulsively- thinking that when he got back to Tattoine he’d be able to free her, one way or another.

His spider web thin lines of Force were actually helpful for this- he didn’t have to focus on holding back. The clone’s chips were different than the slave chips, but not so different that he couldn’t turn them off. He did, deactivating the chips in both clones, just to be safe.

Talo froze as soon as his turned off, dropping his blaster to clatter on the floor. He held shaking hands in front of himself. “I- I didn’t- I- What- How- “

His breathing was strained, and then he was ripping his helmet off his head and retching into it, falling to his knees.

Rie’s gun was pointed at Vader, though even if he shot it wouldn’t actually hit Vader. Vader did not mention this. “What was that?” Rie shouted. “What’d you do to him?”

Vader didn’t answer, staring at Talo on the floor and Obi-Wan, lightsaber still out in front of him, eyes wide.

“Sidious wanted his message to spread once he gave it,” Vader said, thoughtful. “He was the only one allowed to give the initial message, but apparently having the right person even accidentally say the right words is enough to activate it. He couldn’t talk to each clone individually, so he had the clones themselves be allowed to pass on the orders.” Fascinating, and so easily exploited if one ignored Talo still shaking in the corner.

It did lead to another thought though. “Obi-Wan,” Vader said, “Have the Jedi told any clones with active chips that Palpatine is dead? It would be nice to know what action, if any, that would cause.”

Obi-Wan nodded, thoughtfully. “I’ll look into it.” He said.

He glanced at Rie and Talo. “Luke can’t open the door,” he said, “And you two need food. Probably a shower. I can explain a bit more about this as well.”

They still didn’t understand, and they probably weren’t supposed to leave their posts even for a Jedi, but they didn’t protest much.

…---…

Luke stared after the clones. He folded his arms across his chest as though that’d make him feel warm again.

“Never do that again.” Luke found himself saying. “Please.”

Vader was watching him, considering. It was silent for a long moment “Technically I didn’t do anything.”

Luke stayed silent, and Vader sighed. “As you wish.” He said, and his voice was soft.

Luke tried a smile. This wasn’t exactly the meeting he’d expected. “So… Jail huh? Gone for one day and you’re already getting yourself into trouble.”

Vader snorted, shaking his head. He fingered the collar with one hand, then deliberately lowered his hand. “How’d getting Padme out work?” he asked.

Luke felt himself start to blush. He hadn’t really wanted to admit that Vader had been right, that they really _had_ needed to kidnap her.

“Well,” Luke said, rubbing his neck. “The recording helped.”

Vader motioned him to go on, and he did. “I told you not to explain everything.” Vader said.

Luke shrugged. “She just has the kind of face… you feel like you need to spill everything.”

Vader’s lips twitched into something of a half-smile. “That she does.”

When it was Vader’s turn the story was significantly shorter. “They saved my life,” he said, “And then they arrested me. I don’t like the collar.”

Luke winced as he looked at it. It blocked Vader’s force presence almost entirely. It felt weird to be around his father and not be able to _feel_ him.

“Don’t worry,” Luke said, his determination hardening. “You know what I’ve been doing the past few years, we’ll find a way to get you out.”

Vader looked at him for a long moment, then he grinned. “The Jedi have no idea what they’ve started.” He said, and Luke grinned back.

…---…

They’d discussed the clones first. Obi-Wan had described the battle of Utapau and Older Anakin had described the fight with Sidious. And then-

“Why’d you turn?” Obi-Wan asked. He cursed himself for a complete lack of tact a moment later and Older Anakin, the only Anakin in the room, blanched.

Obi-Wan wasn’t sure how a face that pale could get paler, but Older Anakin managed it.

“You’re not here to kill me are you?” Older Anakin asked.

“No.” Obi-Wan said, horrified. “You’re my brother Anakin. I love you. I couldn’t kill you, even if I wanted to. Which I don’t. I just… want to understand.”

The words didn’t quite have the reassuring effect Obi-Wan was looking for. The older man watched Obi-Wan for a long moment. “I’d long thought that the Jedi hated me, feared me, didn’t trust me, pulled me back from my full potential. And that was part of the reason. Palpatine had always supported me, I felt like he cared for me, and I cared for him. That was another part. Really though… I turned because I was an arrogant fool who didn’t realize that darkness never saves anybody.” Other Anakin wasn’t looking at Obi-Wan, rather he was clenching and unclenching his left hand, over and over again.

Obi-Wan watched him for a moment more.

He could understand a bit more of what Luke had been saying now, about how hard it must have been for Anakin to align with the Jedi in the first place.

“Who gave you those burns?” Obi-Wan asked. He thought he knew. He’d seem Anakin’s face, his completely unguarded face, every time Obi-Wan offered encouragement or trust. Shock. Disbelief. Pain. Guilt. Betrayal.

Anakin’s lips twitched slightly. “Those memories are my burden,” he said, “Not yours.”

And Obi-Wan knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that it had been him. _Mustafar_ , Obi-Wan thought. _No wonder he didn’t want either of us to go._ No Lava, he’d said. And apparently had a perfectly legitimate reason for being concerned.

“You don’t have to carry all of your burdens alone,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin sighed softly. “The story behind my burns does have a villain, but I promise that villain isn’t you.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.

Anakin looked at him for a long, silent moment. “Yoda.” He said.

Obi-Wan nodded seriously. “Of course,” he said.

A slow smile spread across Anakin’s face. “I think Sidious deserves a nomination too of course.”

“We wouldn’t want him to feel left out.” Obi-Wan said, feeling his lips twitch into a smile without his permission. The banter helped. The guilt was still there, event though it was for something he hadn’t done and would never do, but stronger than that guilt was determination. “We’ll get you out soon.” He promised. _No matter what the rest of the council has to say about it._

…---…

Anakin stood in front of the whole council, Padme by his side. It felt nice to finally be in the open about their relationship.

He kind of felt like maybe he should actually sit in his seat, but they’d told him not too.

It didn’t really matter. He could feel happy sitting down or standing up, as long as Padme and Obi-Wan were with him.

“You’ve been married for three years?” Windu asked, and Anakin wasn’t sure if he was angry, disappointed, or grudgingly impressed that Anakin had actually managed to keep it a secret for so long.

Anakin nodded happily.

“Are there any other major instances of breaking the code we need to hear about?” Windu asked.

Anakin opened his mouth to say no, but hesitated. There was… something. Something he hadn’t wanted Obi-Wan to know… “There’s something…” Anakin said, slowly. “It had something to do with… sand.”

More than one council member rolled their eyes, but Anakin noticed Padme stiffen beside him. Anakin felt fleeting annoyance before euphoria came back. Anakin had the vague feeling that when he crashed he’d crash hard.

“I can’t…” Anakin tilted his head to the side as though that would dislodge the memories, shake them lose from wherever they were hiding. “I can’t remember.”

He frowned, then jumped up straight. “I know!” he said, “I killed Dooku!”

The council was staring at him. He probably shouldn’t have said it that loud, and excited, but it’s been good to be able to remember something.

“We already know that…” Windu said, slowly.

“No,” Anakin said, “He didn’t have hands. He couldn’t really fight anymore at all. I had him at my mercy. Palpatine told me to kill him, I said it wasn’t the Jedi way, he said do it, and I did.”

The sand thing was still there, tickling at the edge of his memory. Sand and screams and blood and… _mother_.

The council glanced at one another. Finally, Yoda spoke. “Discuss this, we will,” he said. Tapping his gimer stick against the floor. “Dismissed you are.”

Anakin bowed, then led Padme out of the room.

He was glad that they were leaving now, Padme was pregnant after all. He was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to stand up too long.

…---…

Padme found herself cursing. Of all the things to go through quickly- They were going to try to execute Darth Vader. Future Anakin.

In two days.


	11. Jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 24 hours means different things to different people

“Give me 24 hours.” Obi-Wan told Luke. Luke agreed.

…---…

Obi-Wan hadn’t been yelling at the council for the last half hour, he’d been explaining his position calmly. His words had been precise and if they were a bit more clipped than usual he had reasons for his displeasure.

He did not let them interrupt him or explain themselves.

They’d accepted Older Anakin’s help and had offered him nothing in return. They’d kept him alive, yes, but they hadn’t really fixed any of the thousands of things that were wrong with the man.

Then they’d placed on the blame on him, arrested him, and now he was going to be executed for something… well, something he’d arguably done, but something the Jedi had helped him do too.

“We need to get him out.” Obi-Wan finished. He would not compromise on this.

The council members looked at each other. Finally Yoda spoke. “Let him go, we cannot.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak but Windu cut in. “Yoda and I are going to Kashyyk. We will likely need quite a few clone troopers for the effort. We could use some of those at the prison.”

“A pass, Luke must have. His father, he must see. Access he must have.”

Obi-Wan felt his lips twitch into something that might’ve been a smile.

…---…

Luke knew he’d promised to wait 24 hours. But he’d been watching the building and something was changing. Luke knew Obi-Wan wanted Vader out, the rest of the council? He wasn’t as sure about.

Luke’s plan was great. Get his father out of prison. Before they moved him. Or killed him. 

There was one lift in the prison, and Vader was on the top floor, hardest to get to. Luke had been given clearance though. He was still sweating as the lift went up. Which was why it took him a minute to realize that the other three people in the lift really shouldn’t be there at all.

But apparently they were doing the same thing he was. So he figured they could join forces, just for now.

…---…

The spiderwebs were thicker now, and Vader could sense something changing. The Force thrummed with anticipation. _Now_ , it whispered.

He reached out for the collar and pushed out. It shattered. His guards turned to him, and he shoved the two of them against a wall. There was a nice little nerve that, pinched just right, would knock someone unconscious.

They crumpled to the ground. Now for the door…

Vader blinked when he saw Luke with a lightsaber and three other people, all holding blasters.

Luke shoved the lightsaber through the door, cutting it completely out of the wall. Alarms started shrieking.

The other three looked at him, then at each other. “Who are you?” They asked.

“Darth Vader,” he said, thinking that the Jedi really ought to thank him for keeping up their little ruse. Besides, it was funny to watch people glance between him and his life support and wonder how he’d ever gotten close enough to try and kill the Chancellor, much less how he’d managed to wound him.

They looked at each other uncertainly. This was a jailbreak, but where had Luke found these people? And why hadn’t he told them what Vader looked like?

Vader stood, his life support systems lifting off the ground to trail after him as he followed his rescuers out of the cell. But the lift was out of commission for them because the alarm was going off… and these people hadn’t planned this jail break at all. At least Luke came by it honestly.

…---…

Obi-Wan looked at his comm and cursed. He’d asked for 24 hours for a _reason_. The plan was going to be perfect by then- the extraction made without loss of life. Skywalkers. Why did he like them anyways?

“We’re going to help him right?” Anakin asked, and Obi-Wan sighed. Of course they were but-

Padme’s hand was suddenly squeezing Anakin’s arm tightly. “You aren’t going anywhere.” She said.

Anakin gaped at her.

“The _babies_ Anakin,” she said, “I think they’re coming.”

…---…

The five of them were running. What kind of prison escapes were they doing these days?

Vader hated running. His prosthetics were not designed for this sort of motion. Vader had sometimes wondered if Sidious had done that to force Vader into looking halfway dignified.

They were at the outer wall of the prison now, and the lift which hadn’t worked for them was definitely working on the clone troopers coming in after them… Vader suddenly started grinning.

He stretched out a hand, his only hand, in front of him, and _pulled_. The wall buckled under the strain, tried to resist, but he didn’t let it.

The wall groaned and shrieked and tore inwards. Vader waited a moment. Obi-Wan’s speeder was there, closer, closer, Luke and Vader jumped. A moment later, once he’d confirmed the speeder actually had enough room, he pulled the other three in after him.

Luke wouldn’t like it if Vader left his friends behind.

Vader took over driving, letting Obi-Wan duck down so he probably wouldn’t be identified as part of the prison break. “Feel in the mood for a drive?” He asked.

“Still suicide!” Obi-Wan yelled back, and Vader grinned.

“How’d you convince Anakin to stay behind?”

“I didn’t! A certain set of twins decided that it was high time to come into the world!”

Vader felt a momentary tug when he realized that Padme would be having the children without him again. Not that he would have been allowed in anyways, not that he _deserved_ to be there.

“Luke,” Vader asked, “Did you happen to arrange a way off planet?”

He had not. But his friends had.

Obi-Wan wasn’t coming with them. He was needed to help with the continuing efforts to get the chips removed, and to help Anakin, and he probably did want to see the twins who were either his nephew and niece or grandchildren by adoption, depending on how you looked at it.

Vader didn’t really want to go, but he couldn’t stay either. And Luke’s friends seemed to have a location in mind, and they didn’t feel dangerous. Besides that, the force was nudging him in that direction. So he went.

…---…

“This is Darth Vader?” One of the Seperatist leaders shrieked. None of them were actually in the room, which was probably good for their health.

Vader hadn’t particularly minded killing them the first time, he doubted he’d lose sleep over it if he had to kill them this time either.

“I am Darth Vader,” Vader said, stepping forward. He drew darkness in, letting his eyes glow gold. “Why have you brought me here?”

He was pretty sure he knew though. They must be desperate. Dooku and Grevious were dead, and when they’d gone to Mustafar the Jedi had been waiting for them. They couldn’t contact Sidious, so when a new Sith had shown up they’d blown the cover of several agents in Coursant to get him out.

He almost felt pleased.

“You attempted to kill the Chancellor.” One of the leaders said, “The Sith have fought with us from the beginning.”

He stopped. He couldn’t say that they needed Vader, that would give him far too much power.

Vader found himself smiling. This could be… interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cars hate me.  
> March? I melted my Felix car. It was rather sad. I had a funeral for him and everything.  
> Got a new car bout a week ago. It was great.  
> Driving. Straight. Everything going all right. Then this yellow car turns in front of me like- wow- it was crazy and just right there.   
> I hit the brakes and thought it's their fault- which was good- then I was on a curb. Still not quite sure how I got there.  
> I'm fine. But my car isn't.  
> And their insurance is being stupid.   
> Maybe I'm just feeling angsty.  
> This had nothing to do with the story.   
> Okay. I'm done.


	12. Birth and Seperatists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Babies are born. Seperatists are handled.

Anakin was still too high to panic, but he was… concerned. His older self wasn’t here to give him advice and wouldn’t have had any even if he were here and Obi-Wan was gone saving his older self from going back to jail… and Anakin was driving Padme to the hospital. To have their children. There were going to be two of them.

Anakin made sure to breathe, then looked over to make sure Padme was breathing. He’d seen births before, he’d even helped with some, but they’d never been his children before.

He was holding her hand and she squeezed a little harder sometimes than was exactly comfortable but it was wonderful to be with her and know that everything was going to be alright. The children were coming.

They made it to the hospital and Anakin helped Padme inside. “The babies are coming,” Padme said, and the droid at the front desk pushed some sort of button.

An actual doctor came out to escort them inside. “I’m sorry,” he said, looking at Anakin, “Only the spouse is actually allowed into the room.”

Anakin gaped at him for a moment before realizing that he’d only told the Jedi Council he was married. And his troops. There’d been a suspicious amount of people saying, “Pay up.” After that revelation.

“I’m her husband,” he snapped at the same time Padme said, “He’s my husband.”

The doctor gaped at them for a long moment, probably recognizing Anakin and realizing the he really shouldn’t be married. Maybe he recognized Padme too. She wasn’t exactly inconspicuous.

He let them both in though, and Anakin held Padme’s hand as their babies came into the world. Luke and Leia.

When they were finally able to hold their babies the only thing Anakin could think was _Perfect. They are so perfect._

And instead of the strange too high euphoria that’d been coursing through him since Other Anakin took the bond, he felt at peace.

…---…

Vader looked at Luke. Then the Seperatist council. Then Luke. He could help them, could help them prolong this war into the eternities but that seemed a rather foolish and time consuming thing to do.

Especially since Luke would probably get mad at him. Luke wanted to end the war. Padme wanted to end the war. Obi-Wan wanted to end the war.

So… “Unfortunately,” Vader said, “You seem to be missing several important facts. Sith don’t help people, they use people. On that note, do you have any recordings of transmissions Darth Sidious sent you?”

They glanced among each other, wary, confused, but still needing him.

“Yes.” One of them finally said, “It’s several years old but yes.”

Vader nodded. “I’d run it through face and voice recognition against Chancellor Sheev Palpatine. You might be surprised by what you find.”

They didn’t want to believe him, he was sure, but they’d be fools to ignore his suggestion completely.

They came up with a match.

Though the hologram they had only showed half the man’s face and his voice was different, it was at the very least suspicious that the leaders of both sides of the war looked so similar.

“You weren’t trying to kill the Chancellor then. You were trying to kill the Sith!”

“They are one and the same.” Vader almost growled, “I was trying to get revenge on Sidious, yes. It just happens that getting revenge on Sidious involves saving a bunch of lives, including your own. He’s been using you, using the entire Seperatist movement, this entire war, to gain power. Once he was Emperor he wouldn’t need you any more. He’d kill you.

“Fortunately for you, he’s dead now. I killed him.” _Or the two Jedi I was with killed him._ “I managed to convince the Jedi to not release news of his death until the clones have their chips removed.

“Sidious placed chips in the clones, in the case of his untimely demise the Order Retribution would be activated, meaning the clones would seek out any sentient life they could find. And end it. Seperatist of Republic would not matter, nothing but death.” Vader wasn’t actually sure if anything of the sort would happen, but it did sound properly terrifying.

“The chip removal is a slow process, especially with the amount of clones they need to keep deployed to keep the droids from taking back ground. Now the question is whether you are going to follow Sidious beyond the grave, or if you will at least try to make peace. For both your sake, and the sake of every other sentient being in the galaxy.”

The council was angry. That was certain. But sometimes anger can be constructive.

…---…

Obi-Wan was the first to visit them in the hospital. He was also the third to hold their children, smiling down at them.

Anakin grinned at him. “Aren’t they perfect?” he said.

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. “Are you asking because it reflects well on you or Padme?”

“Padme of course. She’s the perfect one in the pair.” Anakin leaned down and kissed his wife’s forehead. It was so nice to be out in the open, to be able to hold her, to not have to hide.

Anakin still wished that Luke could be here. Other him too, since other him had missed the birth while he was burning the death the last time around… Mostly he wished his mother could be here. Wished she could see her first grandbabies.

But that wasn’t possible. And this was enough.

…---…

“You’re going to need guards at this convention,” Luke said, “Since all of your generals are dead.”

The council looked at him. “I can be one guard, but my father would be a good choice for a second. Unfortunately he needs all new prosthetics and smaller life support systems that he can fight around. Also, if you happen to have any lightsabers that would be much appreciated.”

It wasn’t quite fixing his father- there really had to be something they could do for his lungs… and the rest of him, but it would go a long way. Prosthetics that fit right would be a blessing. Especially if they didn’t hurt him anymore.


	13. It is an end

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things happen

Padme could barely believe her eyes. The Seperatist were sending a transmission… requesting that they sue for peace.

She watched it again.

The council described how Darth Sidious had come to them, seemingly with all the answers to their problems. With a way for them to get what they wanted free from the Republic.

They described becoming suspicious with how Sidious had seemed to know so much of Republic strategy. The rest of it Padme was fairly certain hadn’t happened.

They told about how they’d run facial and voice recognition of the one recording they had of Sidious against Sheev Palpatine, and how it had come in too high a percentage to be a coincidence.

They said they thought the Senate would not come to peace so long as Sidious was at its head, so they had sent Darth Vader to kill Sheev Palpatine.

Vader had failed, though he had wounded Palpatine enough that the Seperatists believed peace talks might be possible.

They requested that the Senate come up with things they needed for peace talks to go through, as the Seperatists had their own list. They also requested suggestions for a meeting place.

They said it was imperative that Darth Vader and his apprentice, Luke, come with them for protection, and in exchange the Republic could bring two Jedi.

Padme felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. Peace could finally be possible.

She wouldn’t be going, she knew that. Anakin wouldn’t let her go without him and he wouldn’t leave the children either and neither of them would bring the children into a war zone.

She figured though, with older Anakin and Luke there the delegates on both sides would be safe. And there were senators she could trust to work through this. It was her fight, still, and she would help all she could… but she didn’t have to do it all.

…---…

Vader liked his new prosthetics. He liked them a lot. In fact, the whole new suit was wonderful. It left most of his face uncovered and allowed for a much greater range of motion than the other one had. And it had a cape.

That’d been the one part of the other suit he had liked… a good cape or cloak, as the case may be, was important.

Vader liked being on the same side as Luke, fighting with him rather than against him. Vader hated diplomacy.

He hated having to stand imposingly in a corner for hours on end while people bickered and he couldn’t just take out his lightsaber and force them into doing what was obviously best.

Vader thought about it for a moment more anyways. But Luke wouldn’t like it. So he didn’t.

Vader had hoped that Obi-Wan would be there, but Anakin probably needed him, what with being a new father and all. Vader wished that he’d had a chance to be a new father, to hold his children when they were little. To see them. To be with them. To have been the one who loved them.

But he was not and because of the choices he made that will never be an option for him. He would never be a new father. He would never hold a baby and know that that baby is his. He would never hold his wife again.

Of all the punishments he’d received for joining the dark side, that was the worst. Worse than the lungs, than the missing limbs, than the burns, than the nightmares. Vader could see what he’d had, and he could see what he’d lost. What he’d never have.

What he’d done.

What he’d never do.

And for that, he bowed his head and let the discussions continue without his interference.

…---…

Yoda and Windu were the Jedi guards, and Luke wasn’t sure if they were the best possible choice or the worst possible choice. Sure, between the two of them they’d be able to defeat Luke and Vader, especially since Luke didn’t actually want to fight them. Luke thought Vader’s upgrades might make that harder, still though.

They’d agreed with his father’s plans, listened to him, talked to him. He’d saved them. He’d ripped out pieces of his own mind, pieces of his memories, to help them defeat Sidious. They’d saved his life, and then they’d put him in prison and placed a collar around his neck.

In his minds eye, Luke still saw the marks, so red against his father’s ghostly pale skin. Luke imagined that it didn’t take much to rub skin that fair, that thin, raw. Vader was one massive burn scar, the collar hadn’t been made to be gentle.

Luke knew, objectively, that Vader had done far worse to other people in the time he’d served the Empire. Still, it didn’t make him happy.

He did like Yoda though. Even if the troll was a bit to free with his stick.

…---…

Luke barely kept himself from laughing when one of the conditions the Seperatists insisted on was the removal of the chips from the clones. That story, if it was only a story, had been a stroke of genius on his father’s part.

Piece by piece, a deal was hammered out. A way riddled with holes and strange compromises, but also overflowing with hope. The war could end. There could be peace.

…---…

Vader accepted that the Jedi were stupid sometimes. All people were stupid sometimes. They’d put him in jail and saved his life.

Still- they owed him. It didn’t take long for him to convince them that it was really in their best interests to allow Anakin to remain a Jedi if he so desired.

He left the room feeling smug.

He wouldn’t kill the Jedi this time, for Luke, but he could certainly make them _wish_ they were dead.

He smiled.

…---…

Ahsoka came almost the same day that the peace meetings had finally hammered out a treaty. She held the babies, Leia and then Luke, and smiled.

…---…

Obi-Wan gave Anakin the council’s sentencing. Because he’d broken the code so much, he would never be a Jedi Master.

That made something crumple inside of him, a dream falling apart. He calmed himself. Obi-Wan and Padme and Luke and Leia and Ahsoka were all safe. It hurt, still, but he was still… happy.

He was still a Jedi, the council couldn’t really get rid of him because he was one of the only two popular Jedi in the galaxy right now.

He was still a Jedi, and he wasn’t lying to anyone anymore. And everything was going to be alright.

…---…

This was a very odd sort of family dinner. Rex was there, as was Cody. Ahsoka was there, Anakin, Older Anakin, Luke, little Luke, Leia, and Padme.

A strange family to be sure, but still, a family.

“So,” Padme asked Luke, “The war is over. The clones are free. The chips are out. They’re being granted citizenship and pay for their years of service to the Republic. What’re you planning on doing now?”

Padme had a plan, Obi-Wan could tell, but she wouldn’t interfere too much if Luke had a plan too.

Luke hesitated for a moment, twirling his fork. “I want to see if there’s a way to get back to our reality.” He finally said, “I miss Leia. And Han, and Chewie and… I have a lot of friends there that I’d like to get back too.”

Older Anakin reached up a hand and gently squeezed Luke’s shoulder. “I daresay I could even join you,” he said, “I highly doubt that any of your friends would recognize me.”

They’d been working on getting his lungs, and the rest of him, in better shape, and though it was a long process he said he was feeling better. Obi-Wan wasn’t quite sure if he was lying or not. He certainly did look different than the armor clad giant that had stumbled into the council room all those months ago.

Padme seemed to be saddened by that, but she nodded. “While you’re figuring that out,” she said. “Is there anything else you’re planning in the meantime?”

Older Anakin and Luke glanced at each other. It was a slightly guilty you-get-to-tell-her sort of glance.

Older Anakin cleared his throat, which made a super weird sound through the vocoder, then spoke hesitantly. “Well,” he said, an excited smile replacing the guilty look on his face, “I’ve always wanted to free the slaves.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... kind of the end. Except a mini epilogue. That's really mini.   
> Thank you all for comments and kudos, they are much appreciated. 
> 
> As for Anakin not yet being a Jedi Master... well. Everyone figures out he's married soon enough which means the council can't really kick people out for getting married... and when Jedi Master's start getting married it gets to be a very unfair double standard... so... You can see where this is going. 
> 
> For me, this fic is like the part in animated movies when someone is peeling an apple and it just... peels all curvy and perfect and there aren't any red specks left? Or the part in Mulan when she wipes off half the makeup on her face in like a second and it's a perfect line and none of it smears or anything. Or when people sweep and it all goes in the dustpan at once and there isn't that annoying line of dirt on the floor that you can't really seem to get in the dustpan no matter what you try? This fic kind of captures the spirit of what makes me so satisfied while watching that...
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! This is the first thing I've finished like... ever. So... 
> 
> Yep.

**Author's Note:**

> Yep.


End file.
